Former U.S. president Barack Obama to visit nation’s capital in May

OTTAWA — Former U.S. president Barack Obama is set to visit the nation’s capital next month for a question−and−answer session.

The event, hosted by the progressive think−tank Canada 2020, will be at Ottawa’s Canadian Tire Centre on May 31.

Canada 2020 chairman Tom Pitfield says Obama is a “generation−defining political leader” and an inspiration to millions of people around the world.

Tickets for the event start at $75, the think−tank says.

Since Obama’s presidency ended in January 2017, he’s become a big name on the paid speaking circuit, and appeared at a similar event in Calgary in March.

In 2016, as president, he addressed Canada’s Parliament and received a standing ovation and cheers in the House of Commons.

The Canadian Press

U.S. President Barack Obama addresses the Canadian Parliament in the House of Commons in Ottawa on Wednesday, June 29, 2016. Obama is set to visit the nation’s capital next month for a question and answer session. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld